57 min
Too Much Sugar in Baby Food: What You Need To Know : Episode #4 Food Issues
-
- Nutrition
Baby food has come a long way from jarred peas and carrots of our childhoods, but although the new options may be organic, have superfoods, and seem healthy, many are more healthwashing than healthy.
In this episode, I sat down with Katie Thomson, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian, and co-founder and CEO of Square Baby, which has been described as the Blue Apron of baby food. Thomson spent her career pioneering nutrition strategy for some of the biggest and most respected brands and was the first nutritionist for Starbucks, working to shape their first health and wellness strategy.
We talk about sugar in baby food, how most brands are nutritionally unbalanced, and how you can find the best baby food brand for your child.
Welcome
3:25 Let’s first talk about your story!
13:02 Why is nutrition in the first year so important for babies?
14:49 Where do you think as a nation we miss the mark when it comes to feeding babies?
24:46 What are some marketing tactics companies use to sway customers?
27:01 Why do manufacturers included added sugars in baby and toddler foods?
36:12 You were quoted in Food Navigator as saying, “Many organic pouches marketed as healthy have more sugar than a donut.” Wow, tell us more!
38:80 In 2019, the WHO urged for a ban on sugar in baby food. If that happens, will it affect the U.S. market?
42:58 There’s a misconception that babies won’t accept bitter foods like certain vegetables. Is that true?
48:55 What should parents look for when buying baby food?
51:25 Tell us more about Square Baby—what it is, what parents can expect, how it works.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
Katie talks about the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) 2019 clinical report about the early introduction of food allergens.
Katie mentions the AAP’s breastfeeding recommendations.
Julie mentions Katie’s quote in this Food Navigator article, “Many organic pouches marketed as healthy have more sugar than a donut.”
Julie mentions that in 2019, the WHO urged for a ban on sugar in baby food.
Katie mentions Partnership for a Healthier America’s Veggies Early and Often campaign.
Follow Katie Thomson on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Square Baby and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Kids Cook Real Food eCourse
The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, created by a mom of 4 and a former elementary school teacher, is designed to build connection, confidence, and creativity in the kitchen. The course includes 30 basic cooking skills, 45 videos including several bonuses, printable supply and grocery shopping lists, and kid-friendly recipes. The course is designed for all kids ages 2 to teen and has three different skill levels. More than 18,000 families have taken the course and The Wall Street Journal named it the #1 cooking class for kids. Sign up now for the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse and get a free lesson for being a “Food Issues” listener.
Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online membership-based market that has the highest quality, organic, non-GMO, healthy, and sustainable products. From groceries, clean beauty, safe supplements, and non-toxic home products to ethical meat, sustainable seafood, clean wine, and more, Thrive Market is where members save an average of $32 on every order! Through Thrive Gives, every paid membership sponsors a free one for a low-income family. Join Thrive Market today and get 25% off your first order and a free gift.
Vitamix
Unlike other blenders, the Vitamix blends everything up into a super-smooth consistency, much like a juicer would, except you get all the nutritious fiber that regular juicers leave behind. Yet Vitamix is for so much more than smoothies. Every Vitamix has an entire range of textures to choose from so you can use it t...
Baby food has come a long way from jarred peas and carrots of our childhoods, but although the new options may be organic, have superfoods, and seem healthy, many are more healthwashing than healthy.
In this episode, I sat down with Katie Thomson, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian, and co-founder and CEO of Square Baby, which has been described as the Blue Apron of baby food. Thomson spent her career pioneering nutrition strategy for some of the biggest and most respected brands and was the first nutritionist for Starbucks, working to shape their first health and wellness strategy.
We talk about sugar in baby food, how most brands are nutritionally unbalanced, and how you can find the best baby food brand for your child.
Welcome
3:25 Let’s first talk about your story!
13:02 Why is nutrition in the first year so important for babies?
14:49 Where do you think as a nation we miss the mark when it comes to feeding babies?
24:46 What are some marketing tactics companies use to sway customers?
27:01 Why do manufacturers included added sugars in baby and toddler foods?
36:12 You were quoted in Food Navigator as saying, “Many organic pouches marketed as healthy have more sugar than a donut.” Wow, tell us more!
38:80 In 2019, the WHO urged for a ban on sugar in baby food. If that happens, will it affect the U.S. market?
42:58 There’s a misconception that babies won’t accept bitter foods like certain vegetables. Is that true?
48:55 What should parents look for when buying baby food?
51:25 Tell us more about Square Baby—what it is, what parents can expect, how it works.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
Katie talks about the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) 2019 clinical report about the early introduction of food allergens.
Katie mentions the AAP’s breastfeeding recommendations.
Julie mentions Katie’s quote in this Food Navigator article, “Many organic pouches marketed as healthy have more sugar than a donut.”
Julie mentions that in 2019, the WHO urged for a ban on sugar in baby food.
Katie mentions Partnership for a Healthier America’s Veggies Early and Often campaign.
Follow Katie Thomson on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Square Baby and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Kids Cook Real Food eCourse
The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, created by a mom of 4 and a former elementary school teacher, is designed to build connection, confidence, and creativity in the kitchen. The course includes 30 basic cooking skills, 45 videos including several bonuses, printable supply and grocery shopping lists, and kid-friendly recipes. The course is designed for all kids ages 2 to teen and has three different skill levels. More than 18,000 families have taken the course and The Wall Street Journal named it the #1 cooking class for kids. Sign up now for the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse and get a free lesson for being a “Food Issues” listener.
Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online membership-based market that has the highest quality, organic, non-GMO, healthy, and sustainable products. From groceries, clean beauty, safe supplements, and non-toxic home products to ethical meat, sustainable seafood, clean wine, and more, Thrive Market is where members save an average of $32 on every order! Through Thrive Gives, every paid membership sponsors a free one for a low-income family. Join Thrive Market today and get 25% off your first order and a free gift.
Vitamix
Unlike other blenders, the Vitamix blends everything up into a super-smooth consistency, much like a juicer would, except you get all the nutritious fiber that regular juicers leave behind. Yet Vitamix is for so much more than smoothies. Every Vitamix has an entire range of textures to choose from so you can use it t...
57 min